Pain & Surprises
by MimiALala
Summary: This is what happens when you're the youngest Shield agent, meet a famous boy, and get kidnapped. All the Avengers get involved eventually...
1. Chapter 1

I wake up to a ship-wide alarm.  
>It's two fifteen AM.<br>I groan and rub my eyes.  
>"Can't an invasion wait till six?" I mutter and stand up to slip into my boots.<br>Grabbing my knife and my phone from under my pillow, I cut a slit in my mattress and slip my phone inside.  
>I creep to the door and press the intercom.<br>"Any word on the intruder?"  
>"Intruder is confirmed to be male, in his late twenties to early thirties.."<br>From there, the intercom fades into white noise and I turn it off.  
>The door is jammed and I need to leave my room.<br>Using my knife to pry open the door, I squeeze through it.  
>Crap.<br>The intruder is right down the hall.  
>He sees me and comes running.<br>I pry the elevator door open and jump into the shaft.  
>Pain shoots through my hands as I grab the cords to slow my descent.<br>He's right behind me.  
>Landing in an open doorway, I tumble into a roll and stand.<br>He's right there.  
>He swings at me with his stick and I block it with my arms.<br>I kick him in the groin and he kicks me in the shin.  
>As he tries to hit my stomach, I use his momentum to jump into the air and grab his head and flip onto his back.<br>He tries to hit me and misses.  
>I hang on for dear life.<br>He stumbles so I decide to do something really risky.  
>As he stumbles again, I move my legs so that they are wrapped around his neck and I am facing backwards, swing down, grab his legs and pull them out of under him.<br>He falls and hits his head on the floor.  
>Something breaks under me and I feel liquid oozing out of my t-shirt.<br>Blood.  
>Suddenly the alarm stops and the lights turn on, blinding me.<br>Director Fury walks up, grabs my hand and pulls me to standing.  
>"Good job, Agent Sutton. You managed to take down the enemy agent when no one else could. Go ahead and take his mask off." He says.<br>I pull off his mask and gasp.  
>"Will he be okay?" I whisper and promptly bite my lip.<br>"He will be fine. It's you I'm worried about. You're bleeding from multiple locations and have burns across your hands. Go see the medical techs."  
>I open my mouth to protest that I'm fine.<br>Fury puts a hand up to silence me.  
>"It's not a suggestion." He says.<br>I trudge off towards the medical technicians.


	2. Chapter 2

I walk into the dining hall and grab a plate of whatever this sludge is.  
>I dunno why no one wants to sit with me.<br>Maybe it's cause I'm the youngest recruit. Or maybe it's because I have a high IQ. Maybe because I excel in everything. No one but Clint and Tasha ever sit with me. Sometimes Fury will come and talk with me, but he makes me soo nervous. I'm sixteen. The rest of them are in their twenties to thirties.  
>I sigh and sit at the smallest table.<br>Clint walks into the room.  
>He's got a black eye, A huge lump on his forehead and his quiver is missing from his back.<br>I watch him argue with the lunch lady.  
>She hands him a plate of... Sushi?<br>Clint hates sushi.  
>He walks up to where I am sitting.<br>"Hey, Kiddo. How did you sleep last night?"  
>"Coulda been better. You?"<br>"I would have slept better if I didn't have a concussion." He says with a smile. Clint's like my older brother. If most big brothers work for a spy organization and shoot better than a professional marksman, that is.  
>"Yeah. Sorry about that. Is that for me?" I ask him.<br>"Only if you swap me."  
>We switch plates and as we eat, Natasha walks up and sits down. All she has for breakfast is a cup of coffee.<br>"Hey. What happened to you, Clint?"  
>He points to me and she smiles. Natasha is like a big sister. I can go to her with problems like: Do my shoes match my hair? Or: I'm wearing a fancy ballgown. Where the heck do I put my knife?<br>"Wow. And she did this, how?" she asks.  
>"Training exercise last night."<br>Natasha looks at me, then at Clint.  
>"Nice. Just be warned. Fury might ask you guys to demonstrate." She says then grabs Clint's arm and pulls him away.<br>"See you later, Reen." He says and they leave me to finish my sushi alone.

After breakfast, I go to the training room and start whaling on a training dummy.  
>Another person walks in.<br>He looks vaguely familiar and I kinda recognize him but I keep beating the dummy up.  
>"Miss? Are you supposed to be in here without supervision?"<br>"Yep. I have clearance."  
>"Are you sure? Aren't you supposed to train with other people?"<br>"No one wants to train with me. I'm the misfit."  
>He moves the dummy and stands in front of me.<br>"You move well enough for an girl, Er, a agent."  
>"I'm too young for them. They don't like me."<br>"I think you could use a live training session. Ready?"  
>He stands ready and motions me to do the same.<br>I move and he jabs at me.  
>I hit back.<br>He jumps and hits where my head was a second earlier.  
>I kick his stomach and he grabs my foot.<br>He flips me.  
>I slide under him and trip him.<br>He stands and grabs my shoulder.  
>I use his momentum to flip him over my back.<br>He grabs my foot and pulls.  
>I kick him.<br>He swings at me and I jump and grab his head.  
>He pulls me forward and I grab his arm.<br>I hit his back and he pulls me forward.  
>He grabs me and flips me onto the floor.<br>I trip him and he falls to the floor.  
>We lay there panting for breath.<br>"I never got your name, by the way." I say and he grins.  
>"I'm Steve. Steve Rogers."<br>"I'm Maureen Sutton."  
>Slowly, realization creeps into my brain.<br>I just beat up Captain America!  
>Crap.<br>I'm bleeding again.  
>He stands up then helps me up.<br>"You're bleeding. Here, lemme help." He says and puts a leather jacket over me.  
>"Uh, Um, Thanks. But what are you doing here?"<br>"Fixing a problem."  
>"I see. Uh, hi Director Fury, sir." I say and swallow.<br>He frowns and walks up to us...


	3. Chapter 3

Director Fury frowns and begins talking with Captain Rogers.  
>"You missed the meeting. Where were you?"<br>"Sparring, sir."  
>"I see. Agent Sutton, Bridge. Thirty minutes."<br>I nod and he walks off.  
>Steve looks at me.<br>"You have thirty minutes of freedom. Come with me."  
>"Interesting choice of words." I say and he nods.<br>"Well?"  
>"I'm coming."<p>

He leads me into a meeting room.  
>The Avengers are there.<br>Clint is arguing with Natasha.  
>"Meet the Avengers. Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Thor, Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff."<br>"Let's see.. Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor, Hawkeye, Black Widow and Captain America. I've heard of you." I say and sit at the table.  
>Thor and Banner look impressed.<br>Stark not so much.  
>"Why is there a kid here?"<br>"Cause I brought her."  
>"Cap, you can't just bring just anybody to these meetings. Especially not some teenager."<br>"Why not, Stark? You're allowed."  
>"Cause I'm Iron Man. She's not."<br>I put my hands up.  
>"Both of you, knock it off. I'm here and there's nothing you can do to make me leave."<br>"She reminds me of Pepper. Highly spirited and annoying." Stark says.  
>"Definitely."<br>"Hey kid."  
>"Hey, Clint. What are you guys arguing about this time?"<br>He sighs. Uh-oh.  
>"Classified."<br>I knew that was coming.  
>Twenty minutes left.<br>"Fury said something about the Avengers initiative and an Agent Sutton."  
>"Tony!"<br>"Oops. I guess the cat's out of the bag. Kid, don't tell Agent Sutton that, OK?"  
>I face-palm. For a genius, Stark's really dumb.<br>"Uh, I think you just told her yourself, Tony." Banner says and Stark grins.  
>"Well then, don't tell Fury."<br>"I'm Maureen Sutton."  
>"SHIELD hires them young, huh?"<br>"I'm the youngest."  
>"How old are you? 19, 20?"<br>"Try 16."  
>"Wow."<br>For a few moments, no one speaks.  
>Stark's mouth is moving, but no sound comes out.<br>"Sif would enjoy meeting you, Maiden." Thor says.  
>"Yeah? I got to get moving. Thanks for the training session, Captain."<br>"Anytime, Agent."  
>"Kid, I'll go with you." Clint says and opens the door.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Clint's face is full of frustration and anger. He hasn't said a word since we left the conference room.  
>Finally, I decide to ask what's bothering him.<br>"Clint? Clint? Earth to birdbrain?"  
>"What?"<br>"Eesh. Don't think I want to talk to you now. Cranky much?"  
>"It irritates me."<br>"Tony Stark is a _person, _not an _it._"  
>"Not him." he says and keeps walking. I've never seen him like this. It's like he has another person inside of him.<br>"Well, what then?"  
>He simply keeps walking.<br>"Tell me! It's bad enough that everybody else on this freaking helicarrier gives me the cold shoulder, but you are really starting to irritate me with this attitude!"  
>He finally stops moving and turns to face me.<br>His expression...  
>I've seen it before. Just once. On my big brother.<br>We were in this big building, hiding from chitauri. They burst in and aimed their guns at us. Then Captain America burst in and fought them. My parents were frozen with fear, so my big brother decided to get me out. As he shoved me through the door, something exploded and blew me backwards. My family was gone.  
>Not a good memory.<br>"I'm not cold shouldering you! I just don't know how to deal with this." Clint says and leans against the wall.  
>"Deal with what?"<br>"A problem."  
>"What problem?"<br>"Oh look, we're at the bridge."  
>"I should hit you."<br>"Yeah?"  
>"Yup."<br>"Go ahead. I dare you."  
>"I would, except for Director Fury's standing right behind you."<br>"Jeez."  
>"Yup"<br>"So nice of you to finally join us. You're late." Fury says and glares at us. Scary.  
>I look at the floor, the roof and anywhere but Fury.<br>He's not amused.  
>"Agent Barton, you're needed elsewhere. Agent Sutton, stay here."<br>Yikes.


	5. Chapter 5

I wonder if Director Fury's gonna throw me off the helicarrier. Or maybe shoot me. Or shoot me then throw me off. He doesn't seem to notice my insane worry.  
>Note to self: When working for a secret government agency, don't irritate the director.<br>I look at him. "Urm, If this is about Agent Morris' broken ankle, I had nothing to do with it." He chuckles.  
>Is that bad, or good?<br>"This is another matter entirely. How was your time with the Avengers?"

"Chaotic."

"I can't imagine why."

"They couldn't stop arguing. If they're like that all the time, it's amazing that they manage saving the world."

"I need another agent on the initiative. Can you recommend anyone?"

"Sadly, no. I don't spend that much time with the others, sir." I say and shuffle my feet. I wish he would get to the point.

"Well, I was thinking, the Avengers need someone younger than they are."

"I see."

"I'll keep that in mind. You have a new roommate. Try not to kill or maim her this time." "Yes sir." Ugh!  
>I trudge out of the bridge and pull out my cell phone. As soon as I escape the gaze of several agents, I send a text.<p>

**_me: Hey Clint? _**

_**Birdbrain: What?**_  
><em><strong>me: You wouldn't happen to be planning an evening out tomorrow, would you?<strong>_  
><em><strong>Birdbrain: Why?<strong>_  
><em><strong>me: I kinda want to explore the city.<strong>_  
><em><strong>Birdbrain: And you need a ride.<strong>_  
><em><strong>me: I would hit someone else up, but...<strong>_  
><em><strong>Birdbrain: True. Meet us at the launch pad at 4:00 tomorrow.<strong>_  
><em><strong>me: will do. Thx.<strong>_

After finishing the conversation, I find my way back to my room. Everything's been moved around, and re-organized.

Someone else has been in here.

They're still here.


	6. Chapter 6

Someone's in my bathroom.  
>I can hear the noises of cleaning.<br>I quietly creep towards the bathroom.  
>A blond, short lady walks out, sees me and waves.<br>She waves?!  
>WHAT?!<br>"Hi! You must be my roommate! I didn't know who you would be, but hi!"  
>"Urm... You moved my mini-fridge. Pray tell why?"<br>"Oh! I didn't like where it was. Actually, I moved everything! You don't mind, right?"  
>She moved everything?<br>The girl must want to die or something...  
>I grit my teeth and force a smile.<br>"No... I do mind. Hi. I'm Maureen Sutton. And you are?"  
>"I'm Claire Bennett. Should I move everything back then?"<br>"Yep. You should."  
>"Where are you going?"<br>"Mess hall. Food."  
>"I see. I'll be there in a bit!"<p>

Ugh! Why did Fury make this weird, motor-mouth, rude, cheerful, lady be MY roommate?!  
>He's gotta be kidding me.<br>Instead of the mess hall, I head for the bridge.  
>"Director Fury, sir, is Agent Bennett really my roommate?"<br>"Unless I'm wrong, YES. You've got to learn how to get along with everyone. Go eat dinner, or something."  
>"Yes, sir."<br>"And get that frown off your face! She can't be that bad."  
>"Okay."<p>

I leave the bridge, and head for some dinner.  
>She's there.<br>She waves and I pretend to not see her. Fail.  
>She comes running up to me, and taps me on the shoulder.<br>I ignore her and she walks away.  
>Good.<br>She sits with Clint and Natasha.  
>Not Good!<br>Well, there goes my seating arrangements.

After eating, I head to my quarters.  
>Everything has been put back where it belongs. Good.<br>I get out some fresh clothes and take a shower.  
>After that, I get dressed for bed, crawl into bed and quickly fall asleep.<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

I open my eyes.  
>Time to get up.<br>Bennett's still asleep.  
>I wonder what sector she works in?<br>Time for some hacking, research and answers..  
>Moving to my desk, I open my laptop and turn it on.<br>_Hmmm...  
><em>I quickly type in my password and begin searching for anything about her.  
>Sweet! I'm in!<br>_Let's see, Agent Claire Bennett... Security clearance level 2?_  
>She has less clearance than most people.<br>_I wonder... My file...WHAT?!  
><em>Fury's moved me up.  
>I'm now clearance level 4. I WAS level 1.<br>_Holy cow. I skipped two whole levels. That's amazing.  
><em>-  
>Time to go! YES!<br>A whole day to myself.  
>Clint is waiting for me by the Quinjet.<br>I climb aboard and sit.  
>"Hey, kid? You do realize that we're leaving by ten, right?"<br>"yep. I'll be back before then."  
>"Good. I'd hate to have to come and find you."<br>"Tasha, I'm going to be there. On time."  
>"I hope so."<br>"I will." I say and plug my headphones in. It's going to be a long ride.  
>Soon, we land at Avengers Tower. It's huge. And weird looking.<br>They climb out and leave me there.  
>I climb out and immediately get big guns pointed at me.<br>"Guys? Stark? Anybody?"  
>"I'm sorry, miss. I'm afraid you cannot stay here."<br>"JARVIS! Let her in. She's with them!"  
>"My apologies, miss."<br>"Yeah. Stark, your computer tried to fry me."  
>"Sheesh. I didn't think you'd show up here."<br>"I needed a ride and Clint offered."  
>"Uh-huh. Come in."<br>The Avengers are there. All of them.  
>Well... That's nice.<br>I wave at Clint, and walk out the door.  
>Finally! A whole day to myself! Nice.<br>As soon as I leave the main room, I hear the noise of a school tour. No wonder they're all here.  
>I assimilate into the group. Good thing that it's a high school tour, and not a elementary one.<br>Three hours later, the tour ends and I'm climbing onto a school bus with the rest of them.  
>A red-haired boy keeps looking at me like I'm unique or something. Awkward.<br>_Midtown high. Interesting..  
><em>It's four. I have plenty of time to explore, So I head to the nearest mall. Apparently, so does the boy because I keep catching glances of him.  
>I step into a girly store and buy a cute hat and shoes.<br>Camo's back in fashion apparently.  
>I put on my new shoes and throw the other pair into a trash can.<br>_Nice! They actually fit.  
><em>Mexican or Chinese for lunch? Both maybe? Both.  
>After finishing my food, an arcade catches my eye.<br>I enter and start a two player shooting game. The red haired boy comes and joins me.  
>I win. Easy.<br>We move to a racing game and he wins.  
>"My name's Zach." He says as we play a dance game.<br>"Maureen. You've been following me."  
>"Kinda. How'd you like the tour?"<br>"I was talking about the arcade, but the tour was good."  
>He kinda looks like Stark, but cuter..<br>He has some freckles across his nose, blue eyes and his hair's kinda wavy.  
>"Yeah?"<br>"Yep."  
>"I haven't seen you at school before."<br>"I go to a different school."  
>"Oh?"<br>"Yeah."  
>The game's over but we stand there for a minute, not talking.<br>It's six. I have time for a movie, and a walk back to the tower.  
>"It was nice to meet you, but I gotta get going." I say and he just keeps looking at me.<br>"My mom probably wants me home for dinner."  
>"Yeah?"<br>"If you need a ride, can I give you one?"  
>"Nah. I'm good. Thanks though."<br>"Yep. Maybe I'll see you at the Tower?"  
>"Maybe."<br>I watch him leave and then head to the theater.

As I head back to the tower, I can't get Zach off my mind. He was nice.  
>It's raining.<br>When I reach the Tower, I'm soaking wet.  
>Just as I'm about to enter, I see a couple of weird looking goons attacking someone.<br>I draw my knife and run to his rescue.  
>It's Zach!<br>These goons are good. Seven of them against two of us.  
>Soon, I'm disarmed, and shoved into the back of a van with him.<br>"Any idea why they attacked you?"  
>"Probably to get to my dad."<br>"Your dad?"  
>"Tony Stark."<br>"Ah."  
>"Where did you learn to fight like that?"<br>"My school."  
>"Ah."<br>"Stop talking! Another word from either of you and there will be consequences!" The one driving yells.  
>"Like what? I'll be forced to wear that shade of green?" I mouth off.<br>"Like this."  
>One of them hits me with and electrified stick.<br>The van starts to go black.  
>I can't keep my eyes open, but I see as they hit Zach with the stick too.<br>And then, I black out.


	8. Chapter 8

My eyes flutter slightly open, and I realize that I fell asleep sitting up, so I try to lay down.  
><strong>THUD!<strong>_**  
><strong>__oops.  
><em>I hit the cold, hard concrete floor, and figure out WHY I was asleep sitting up.  
>Zach's tied to my back, and I think that he's still out cold.<br>Stupid Hydra agents, kidnapping us.  
>I hear a soft moan, and feel him struggling to sit up.<br>"Zach, stay still."  
>"My arm-"<br>"I know. Stay still."  
>"-but-"<br>"No! Stay still for a second!"  
>"Fine."<br>I roll onto my stomach, and he sighs.  
>"Thanks."<br>"No prob. Does your stubbornness come from your dad, or your mom?"  
>"Both, actually."<br>"Ah."  
>"Yeah. Does your agility come from your mom, or your dad?"<br>"Neither."  
>"Oh."<br>Sunlight is shining through a tiny sunroof.  
>Suddenly, the door opens and three people walk through.<br>One evil scientist? CHECK.  
>One psycho captain? CHECK.<br>One newbie agent? CHECK.  
>Two slightly scared teens? CHECK!<p>

I don't think that Zach's been through anything like this before. I know I haven't.

The one with the lab coat smiles like: _Oh gee! Look at these new subjects that I get to experiment on! Yay!_

I can tell the agent's a noob, because, he's shifting his weight back and forth like he's nervous or something.

But they're nothing compared to the captain. He's bald, uber tall, and scary. REALLY scary.

Uh-oh. What if they found the secret compartment in my bag? Or hacked my phone? Or-or-or... What if they took my knives apart and reverse-engineered the tech? If these guys don't kill me, Director Fury will.  
>I'm in trouble now.<p>

The scientist cuts the rope that's holding us together and gingerly, I move slightly. Oh that's so much more comfortable.  
>Our hands are still tied behind our backs, though.<br>The captain whispers something to the agent who grabs me, throws me over his shoulder and carries me out of the room.

Not shortly after, I begin to hear screams coming from the room.  
>"Lemme go! Let me go! Zach!" I scream and the agent simply laughs at me.<br>"You're not going anywhere."  
>I kick him in the soft spot and he drops me.<br>I take off running towards the door and get stopped by six of them.  
>Not good.<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

_Why did I let my emotions get my better side? _  
>I'm able to reflect on this as I wait for my turn to be interrogated.<br>Soon, the door opens and they drag me in.  
>Naturally, I'm kicking and screaming.<br>Zach is dragged out and they lock the door.  
>Great.<br>"What do you know about Tony Stark's latest inventions?"  
>I keep quiet.<br>One of them hits me in the stomach and I drop to the floor in pain.  
>"Answer me."<br>_In your dreams, baldie.  
><em>I'm hit again.  
>"Uhnnnn."<br>"Why were you at Avengers tower?"  
>I still manage to keep quiet.<br>And get hit for it.  
>"Answer me."<br>_Nope. Not gonna do it.  
><em>One of them hits me again.  
>"No."<br>Baldie looks at me in surprise.  
>"What did you just say?"<br>I'm silent as he hits me.  
>Pain shoots through my body as they take turns hitting me. <em><em>

_I wonder what they're doing to Zach?_

An hour later, they bring Zach back in and leave the room.  
>He looks at me in wonder.<br>My back is bleeding, my head hurts and I think my wrist is broken, but at least I'm still alive.  
>"What did they do to you?"<br>"Not much. Pummeled me. Nothing else."  
>"You're bleeding."<br>"I know."  
>He holds his hands up and smiles at me.<br>"I managed to get my hands free."  
>"Nice. Untie mine?"<br>He moves closer and frees my hands.  
>Oh, that feels better. I can feel my hands again.<br>"Thanks." I say and he nods.  
>"No problem."<br>"Still got your phone?"  
>"Nah. You?"<br>"Yep. And I plan to use it."  
>"How?"<br>"Call for backup? Clint is probably going insane trying to find me."  
>"Clint, as in Clint Barton?"<br>"Yeah, Why?"  
>"He's my uncle. Sorta."<br>"I see."  
>"Yeah. It's awkward."<br>"I bet."  
>"Why would he be looking for you, though?"<br>"Uh... We kinda have the same boss."  
>Realization creeps across his face.<br>"Ah. Now that's awkward."  
>"Yup."<br>I pull out my phone, but there's no signal. Great. We're on our own.


	10. Chapter 10

Clint's POV

After an awesome evening out, you would expect a nice, quiet, ride home, right? No such luck.  
>To sum my evening up:<br>Nat and I went to this EPIC action movie followed by dinner at a rooftop cafe, where I asked her to marry me. She said yes. We danced, kissed and headed back to the tower.  
>When we got there, I find out that Reen got herself kidnapped, along with Zach Stark.<br>Then, I had to calm Tony down, console Pepper, and still get back to the helicarrier before morning.

"Nat?"  
>"What?"<br>"Please tell me that she's okay?"  
>"Love to, but can't."<br>"I know."  
>"We'll find her. Stop worrying."<br>She kisses me on the cheek and heads to her quarters. (Located conveniently next door to mine!)  
>I can't get to sleep.<br>_If I hadn't given her the ride, she'd be safe. Bored, yes. But safe._  
>When I finally do drift off, it seemed like seconds of sleep before I woke up.<br>My mind is unfocused all day.  
>Eventually Fury calls me to the bridge.<br>"Barton! Quit worrying. Go back to the tower and work, shoot my helicarrier full of holes or do something. No more moping around."  
>"yes sir."<br>"And we have a lead on the kidnapping."  
>"What?"<br>"HYDRA."  
>"But I thought they were-"<br>"Disbanded? No. Hiding? Yes."  
>"Ah. Well, now I know who to shoot."<br>"So go do it!"  
>"Yep." I say and wander off of the bridge. Which arrow should I use? Barbed? Electric? Shooting? Bomb? mini-EMP? All these possibilities...<br>HYDRA's gonna wish they never laid eyes on her.

Stark's POV

"JARVIS! Run a scan for his medi-bracelet! Pepper? Pepper? Where'd you go?" I yell and rub my eyes. Can't fall asleep.  
>My kid's out there somewhere and I gotta find him.<br>Fury says that HYDRA's behind it.  
>Clint's on his way over with Natasha. Bruce's in the lab, running tests on a knife that was found by the door. Steve's in the training room, destroying it. Pepper probably went to bed. We've been up all night with no luck.<br>"Sir? I found his bracelet, but not him."  
>"Crap. Where is it?"<br>"In the sewer under the building."  
>"That's a horrible lead. Nice work JARVIS."<br>"Happy to be of help, sir."

Soon I hear the roar of an engine landing on the patio. They're here. Good.  
>"Any news?"<br>"Sorry, Widow. None."  
>"We'll find them."<br>She says and puts a hand on my shoulder.  
>"We'll find them."<br>"I know."  
>"You look like a chitauri. Go get some sleep."<br>"Really? I look that bad?"  
>"Yep. Go get some sleep. We'll keep searching."<br>"Thanks, guys."  
>Clint nods and leans against the wall. Natasha sits and begins typing on a holo-board.<br>Something on her hand sparkles.  
>A ring.<br>Not surprising.  
>I head to the couch and close my eyes.<br>_Just for a second.  
>-<em>


	11. Chapter 11

-  
>Tony was slumped over, crying not only from exhaustion, but from the fear that his son was gone for good. Pepper wasn't much better. Her baby was missing, and she couldn't even help search for him, like the others could.<br>"Mrs. Stark? Mr. Banner would like to see you in his laboratory, that is, if you are able to."  
>Pepper nodded and stood. A small glimmer of hope began to shine.<p>

Bruce paced the floor of the lab. Not five minutes before, a signal had begun to show on the scanners. It was blinking rapidly, in what appeared to be Morse code.  
><em>Help. Zach needs help. Hydra not dead. Being held somewhere off island. Hurry. I cant hold up for long. Please. Hur..<em>  
>The message abruptly cut off, leaving Bruce to wonder if they had been found out.<br>The rest of the team walked in as he was writing down the message.  
>"What's that?"<br>"A message that was broadcast, just off of the coast of Manhattan."  
>Tony's eyes opened slightly. He snatched the paper from Bruce, read it, and dropped it.<br>"They're alive." He whispered, so quietly it was barely audible. Bruce nodded.  
>"I traced it, but it was a weak signal, so I didn't get far."<br>"Pepper?"  
>"Yeah. Your kid saved ours." Natasha blushed at that remark. Maureen wasn't their kid.<br>"She's not-"  
>"I know."<br>Clint shrugged, and in his mind, was sorting arrows by lethality, so he'd know how to kill the freaking idiots who took the kids. Hydra had a world of hurt coming to them.

It's been almost two weeks since they took us. They've figured out who I am. I probably would be dead, except I'm too stubborn to go down without a fight. Turns out, fighting is hard when you've been hurt. I'm not going to die, not yet. Not without getting Stark out first.  
>Zach's a fighter. He's also annoying as heck. He knows what I am. And yet, insists on trying to defend me. Chivalrous, egotistical, pain-in-the-butt, adorable, wonderful, boy. I'm getting dizzy from lack of food.<br>Eeesh. After this, I'm moving into logistics. No more intervention for me.  
>The door slides open, and a bunch of burly looking guys step through.<br>"I take it you aren't the decor people?"  
>One steps closer, eyes me, then hits me in the face.<br>"No? Then you must be the cleaning crew. Or maybe the waiters?"  
>All I have left is sass. If it works for Spidey, it's gonna work for me.<br>He hits me again, and my nose begins to bleed.  
>"Grab the mouthy one."<br>"Lemme go!"  
>"Reen-"<br>"Shh. Rest. Or I'll kick you in the butt."  
>Zach smiles and I'm hit again.<br>"Jeez. What is it with you people? Did you get dropped as a kid? Or maybe you have unresolved anger issues."  
>Ugly glares and hits me again. Sheesh.<br>As they drag me from the room, I'm comforted by the fact that they leave Zach there. He has the transmitter, so we can still communicate with the Avengers. Good.

Tony was desperate. So desperate, in fact, that he was on the helicarrier before anyone else. No smarmy comments to the agents, no jokes about Fury. He just rushed to the labs, and began using an tracking algorithm to trace the message. "Jarvis! Run a scan for a Stark-phone. Or a SHIELD communicator. Any tech that sends out that powerful a signal has to be one of those!" "Master Stark, where would you propose the scan be run?" "Just off the coast of the island. Run it from here to Jersey, if that's what it takes. I'm not loosing him again."  
>His mind wandered as he worked. It wandered back to when his son was in kindergarten.<br>_It had been a warm September day, and they had walked to Central Park. Zach had wandered off, and had fallen into a drainage pipe. When they found him, he was nearly in the water, and was asleep. It had been a close call, but he had been okay. _  
>He was interrupted by Thor.<br>"Starkson, we have located them. Time to suit up."  
>Stark nodded, and ran from the room, Thor close behind.<p>

"Tell me the codes for access to the SHIELD mainframe, and your death will be painless."  
>I roll my eyes at that one.<em> As if I'm going to tell you the codes<em> _in exchange for death. Are you really that idiotic?  
><em>"Yeah, okay."  
>"Finally-"<br>"Was it, IMNOTTELLINGYOU, or was it, YOUCANTAKETHATCOMPUTERANDSHOVEITUPYOUR-" **THWACK!  
><strong>"Insolent girl. _You have an hour to remember that code, or a painless death is out of the question._" He growls through clenched teeth.  
>"Uhhhnnn"<br>"Take her back to her cell, and bring me the boy." He looks at me. "Perhaps he can jog your memory."  
>I lurch forward and hit him in the nose with my forehead. His nose begins spurting blood all over my head.<br>"Touch me again and you'll see what happens, idiot."  
>He shoves me backwards, into the waiting hands of the guards, and they drag me from the room. Craptastic.<p>

Natasha was worried. What if they got there too late? Or it was a false lead?  
>A million possibilities ran through her brain, and she barely felt Clint kiss the top of her head. He gently took her hands from the controls and she stood, glad to be a passenger, for once.<br>A split second passed before something hit the right wing of the Quinjet. It was on fire.  
>In one of the seats, Bruce was fighting the other guy for control. Stark was already on the roof, with Thor, fighting the flames.<br>Cap looked at her, then jumped from the open doors, into the air.  
>Clint gave up on controlling the quinjet's descent, and followed suit, leaving Natasha and Bruce inside.<br>She jumped for his seat. The air rushing inside the cabin tried to pull her away, but Bruce caught her arm.  
>His restraints were tangled around him, and no matter what he did, they wouldn't come off. He thought for a moment, then grabbed Tasha's waist, and threw her out the cabin doors.<br>Natasha was caught by Iron Man, but began sobbing. She didn't notice a green giant burst from the crash sight. She didn't notice it morph into a man who then fell, into the ocean. She really didn't notice the floating piece of wreckage that held Bruce.

Thor noticed it though, and with Hawkeye, flew down to pick Bruce up.  
>Iron Man then spotted something about twenty feet under the water.<br>"Guys? Anyone feel like swimming?"  
>"Are you out of your mind!"<br>"No. At least, I don't think so."

I am roughly picked up off the floor of the cell, and dragged back to that putrid room, where they keep demanding information.  
>Halfway there, an explosion blows the wall behind us to bits. Water starts streaming through, and I'm dropped to the floor. Good.<br>I stand, and unnoticed, begin running to find Zach. _Interrogation room.. Where could it be..._  
>Some idiots try to stop me and end up disarmed, without boots, and shoved into a closet marked 'Maintenance'.<br>I now have a 9mm pistol, a knife, and two pairs of boots. Well then...  
>Soon, I reach the tiny room where they've been beating us.<br>Zach and three guards are inside. One gets a bullet between the eyes, and another gets a knife in the heart. The last one sneaks up behind me, and tries to kill me, but gets shot by... Zach? Wow. Just..wow.  
>"I-i just...killed a man."<br>"Yeah. We should get moving."  
>"I-"<br>"Yeah, but he would have killed me."  
>"But-"<br>"Zach, we are being rescued. Now, MOVE!"  
>He stumbles forward and I hear something snap. His leg. Jeez. Not good.<br>I grab him, and together, run from the room, deeper into the maze.

We reach a room that has no labels, no markings to indicate what's inside. I gingerly pull it open and drag him inside.  
>Soon, water seeps under the door. His breathing becomes faster.<br>"Zach? You okay?"  
>"Don't think so."<br>"Well, help me get out of here and then we might be able to fix that leg."  
>The floor shakes. Water rushes up to our knees.<br>"We're sinking."  
>The words escape his lips and I realize the truth.<br>We are going to die.  
>The only way this could get worse is if their leader was in here.<p>

A few minutes pass, but feel like hours.  
>The water is up to our middles now.<br>I blindly put my arms out, and in the dark, my hands brush against metal shelves in the wall.  
>Sharp instruments lay across them.<br>I can make out the feel of needles, of vials, of boxes.  
>Not good.<br>_Probably poison, or toxins, or horrible things.  
><em>I jerk my hands back, and something pierces my hand.  
>"Ouch."<br>"Reen? You okay?"  
>"Help me figure out how high these shelves go."<br>"Uh.. Okay?"  
>He puts his hands out and soon, we know how high it goes.<br>The roof.  
>If we could climb it, I could shoot a hole open, and we could swim for the surface.<p>

No sooner than we start climbing, the water reaches where our heads were.  
>My arm is numb, probably from whatever was in that vial.<p>

We reach the roof, and I pull out the gun from my pocket.  
><strong>BANG!<br>BANG!  
>BANG!<br>**There's now a leak, and I'm out of ammo.  
>Zach pulls something from his pocket and thrusts it into my hand.<br>It's another pistol.  
>I put it against the roof and shoot, until it's empty.<p>

There's a hole big enough for one of us at a time.  
>I shove Zach through, and he starts swimming up.<br>I can't feel my arm at all now. Yikes.

I begin swimming, but am grabbed from behind.  
>It's creepo himself.<br>He has an air tank and a gun.  
>I'm running out of air, so I rip the tubing from the tank and put it into my mouth.<br>Air floods my lungs and I am able to kick loose of his grasp and swim up.

As I reach the surface, something hits my head.

_The moon looks so pretty right now. _  
>My eyes close and I sink beneath the waves.<p>

_11:57 PM_  
>"Clint! We found her!"<br>Clint looked down, off the Helicarrier's main deck. Sure enough, Iron Man was flying up with an unconscious figure in his arms.  
>Director Fury ran up to him as Iron Man flew onto the deck.<p>

_1:29 AM_  
>"She's stable, but still out cold."<br>Tony looked at Clint, then at Natasha.  
>"Thanks. How's Zach?"<br>"Sleeping."  
>"Go get some rest, Tony. You need it."<br>Tony chuckled.  
>"Like you don't?"<br>"That's different."  
>"When's the wedding?"<p>

_6:13 AM_  
>Clint's head bobbed up and down a few times, then he fell asleep. Tony was tempted to write on Clint's forehead, but just smiled, then draped a blanket over him.<p>

My eyes flicker open, and I am aware of two things: One, I'm in a hospital bed. Two, I'm in a nightgown that isn't mine. Heck, I don't even own a nightgown.  
>Director Fury is sitting in the chair by my bed, staring at me.<br>"Kid."  
>"Hi, um, sir."<br>"What happened down there?"  
>"Classified?"<br>"Well, I'd prefer if you told somebody."  
>"Hydra's alive."<br>"That much I gathered."  
>"Zach broke his leg."<br>"Yeah."  
>"I stole someone's boots."<br>He snorts, then stands.  
>"You're starting to sound like Tony Stark."<br>"I did just spend two weeks with his kid."  
>"Not my point."<br>"And?"  
>He leaves the room, and I'm kinda glad he did.<p>

I drift back to sleep.  
>-<p> 


End file.
